Intel Chip Delays Suggest No New Mac Pro Until at Least Early 2012

Potential Mac Pro customers have been long awaiting updated models from Apple, with the last update to the line having come in July 2010.

Anticipation regarding an updated Mac Pro was heightened back in June as several claims of an imminent launch surfaced. Part numbers claimed to be for new Mac Pro models surfaced a few weeks later, but they instead ultimately turned out to be for new Mac mini models and the Apple Thunderbolt Display.

mac pro 2010 side top half
With the wait for new Mac Pro models continuing, hope surfaced once again in early September amid reports that Intel was planning a November 15th launch of new Sandy Bridge E processors and their Xeon E5 equivalents suitable for the Mac Pro.

But hopes for a Mac Pro launch before the end of the year appear to have been dashed, as Intel is now targeting an early 2012 release for the new chips. The news, first reported last month, has recently been confirmed with additional timeline information from CPU World.

In September, during Intel Developer Forum event in San Francisco, new information came to light implying that Xeon E5 launch is postponed until the first quarter 2012. Indeed, according to the latest Intel roadmaps, all Xeon E5 processors are going to be delayed by one quarter.

...

Xeon E5-2600, also compatible with socket R, is aimed at dual-processor workstations and servers, and contains 17 different dual-, quad-, six- and eight-core models with clock speeds up to 3.3 GHz. Both families will be released in Q1 2012. Despite the delay, there were no changes to E5-1600 and E5-2600 microprocessor line-ups.

Apple will almost certainly take advantage of the Xeon E5-2600 series in the next Mac Pro, likely targeting the E5-2620, E5-2650 and E5-2670 for the dual-processor configurations of the Mac Pro, offering options of 12 or 16 cores in those configurations. Single-processor configurations would likely also be made available using other chips.

Related Roundup: Mac Pro
Buyer's Guide: Mac Pro (Neutral)
Related Forum: Mac Pro

Popular Stories

Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
hikawa phone grip stand apple%402x

Apple Launches Second Limited-Edition iPhone Accessory in a Month

Friday November 21, 2025 3:53 am PST by
Apple has begun selling the Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand, a new limited-edition iPhone accessory designed with accessibility in mind. Designed by LA-based Bailey Hikawa to celebrate the 40th anniversary of accessibility at Apple, the grip uses magnets to securely snap onto any iPhone with MagSafe. Apple says it can be removed with ease, and doubles as a stand with two different viewing...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday November 19, 2025 4:00 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
ipad black friday 2025

The Best Early Black Friday iPad Deals

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:20 am PST by
Black Friday is just over a week away, and iPad deals have finally started to flood in at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. Below we're tracking discounts on every current generation iPad, including lowest-ever prices on M3 iPad Air and M5 iPad Pro, plus steep markdowns on iPad and iPad mini. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a ...
ipad mini 7 feature red and blue

iPad Mini 8: Four Major New Features to Expect

Wednesday November 19, 2025 7:50 am PST by
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is highly likely to arrive next year, offering a significant refresh of the device with at least four major new features. OLED Display The next-generation version of the iPad mini could feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple Watch in 2015, ...
watchos 26 workout app

Apple Watch Users Claim Workout App Is Now Worse in Every Way

Thursday November 20, 2025 7:01 am PST by
Apple Watch owners have been voicing their frustration online over changes to the Workout app that Apple introduced in watchOS 26, with many finding the redesigned interface makes starting exercises difficult and exasperating. When Apple launched watchOS 26 in September, the Workout app went from large, easily tapped workout tiles to a scrolling, corner-button interface. Instead of tapping a ...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Two More U.S. States Commit to Offering iPhone Driver's Licenses in Apple Wallet App

Thursday November 20, 2025 8:21 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Earlier this week, Illinois became the 13th state in the U.S. to offer the feature. Subsequently, we shared a list of additional states that are committed...
android iphone airdrop quickshare

iPhone Users Can Now AirDrop Files to Android Devices

Thursday November 20, 2025 9:47 am PST by
Google today announced a new cross-platform feature that allows for file sharing between iPhone and Android users. With AirDrop on the iPhone and QuickShare on Pixel 10 devices, there is a new file transfer function available. The file sharing option works on Apple devices that include iPhone, iPad, and Mac, along with the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Fold....

Top Rated Comments

Grimace Avatar
184 months ago
Ridiculous how bad they need to update their Pro's!!

How long am I supposed to wait for a decent lineup at apple prices before I just say ****** it and switch to PC.

Seems like they are ditching us Pro's and becoming an appliance company :mad:
Can't you read? Apple (and every other company) is waiting on Intel.

Whineboys are worse than Fanboys...
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Corps Avatar
184 months ago
Ridiculous how bad they need to update their Pro's!!

How long am I supposed to wait for a decent lineup at apple prices before I just say ****** it and switch to PC.

Seems like they are ditching us Pro's and becoming an appliance company :mad:

So you are a "pro" are you? How so?

What part of Apple can't deliver new Mac Pros UNTIL Intel provides CPUs are you not understanding ????
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lostngone Avatar
184 months ago
eEeek!!

I am having flashbacks from the old PowerPC days when Apple couldn't release a faster computer because they were waiting for faster chips. At least this time around everyone else is waiting as well.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BC2009 Avatar
184 months ago
Mac Pro on the back burner. :(

Did you read the article? Intel is delayed on the chips -- not much Apple can do about that.

Whether or not Mac Pro is "back burner" is still up for debate, but this article gives no support to either side of that argument.

Certainly the Mac Pro sells less units than the others, but I can't imagine they did Final Cut Pro X with the expectation that movie editors would use iMacs.

I suppose the delay gives me a bit more time to try to save up $5000 to purchase a nicely equipped Mac Pro. Then again, I'm probably not gonna get one of those until I start making a whole lot more money.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PeterQVenkman Avatar
184 months ago
Why are people here crying over delays to a workstation computer?
Because they don't feel like paying 2009 prices in 2011.

These type of machines are made to last a LONG time. Where I work there are powermac G5 towers and are still in full use every day, making a lot of money. I expect they still have years of service left.
Consider yourself lucky. Our whole company used to be on G5s, they all died after 3 years, half within 2. I do not miss the G5 lemon towers at all.


Also if you do want to whine, why not email intel, Apple, Dell, HP etc are all stuck waiting on intel.
In the mean time non-Apple manufacturers offer other computers with Intel's "consumer" desktop line. They are just as fast as Apple's single processor line (or faster) and they are not expensive.

These machines use state of the art processors that are difficult to find in any other consumer products. Hence, these computers are extremely fast and do not require a refresh every six months.
They were state of the art a long time ago. They may not need a refresh, but certainly a price drop would reflect reality.



What's the complaining? Is it not fast enough?
The single processor machines are not. Certainly not for $2500. This machine is a joke:

http://store.apple.com/us_smb_78313/configure/MC560LL/A?select=select&product=MC560LL%2FA

$2500 for a computer outdistanced by the iMac, MacBook Pro, and much of the windows el-cheapos out there.

The dual processor (8-12 core) models remain blistering fast and very competitive on price, however. Especially considering the incredible interior design of the Mac Pro.

It provides superb processing power using chips that are neither mainstream nor updated very often.
There is no significant reason to buy a single processor mac pro other than ECC, which many haven't found necessary in their work at all.


Deal with it.
A lot of people in the CG industry did exactly that. They switched to windows. And the sky didn't fall. They just got their work done faster at half the price.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Peace Avatar
184 months ago
The positive side of this is it gives Jonny Ives more time to redesign the MacPro.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)